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I must have let a slight giggle escape.

“What?” he whispered against my jaw.

“Nothing. Just thinking.”

“About?”

I couldn’t help but giggle more at the thought.

“What?” he insisted.

“Nothing! I I’m just being silly.”

I have ways to get it out of you, ya know.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” he breathed into my neck and began kissing across my collarbone.

I couldn’t breath but yet my breathing was embarrassingly loud. When his mouth reached mine again, I couldn’t contain my hands anymore.

Then, I felt his hand come up to my cheek. I put mine on his chin, my palm on the adorable scruffiness on his unshaved face.

Then we lay there, noses touching for a bit. Soon, I was drunk on his breath. I leaned in to touch my lips to his again and again.

“I think I may have some competition,” Merrick began, through ragged breaths.

“You noticed that too?” Then it dawned on me. “Is that why you were so eager to go to bed?”

“Yes. I’m surprised at how jealous I am about it,” he muttered low making me laugh softly. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be but sometimes my body reacts without my permission,” he admitted like it was shameful.

“I told him,” I assured him.

“What did you tell him?”

“That we were...together. He asked me about us.”

“You did?” he said seeming genuinely surprised. “Hmm... Well, I can understand his dilemma. You are gorgeous and amazing. It’s hard not to fall in love with you. I’ve tried.”

“Oh, please!” I said smiling. “I’m gonna talk to him again tomorrow. The staring is kinda freaking me out.”

“Yeah, it is. If I had to sit out there and watch him watch
you
another minute...” he drifted off as he nuzzled my neck.

“Ah! And here I thought you came to bed for...another reason,” I said in mock outrage.

“Well yeah, that too.”

I laughed as he tickled me and kissed my neck. I covered my mouth with my hand thinking I was being entirely too loud. Wouldn’t want people to think something was going on in there, especially, when it most definitely was not.

I imagined trying to go to sleep in this silent enclosed dark space, quiet and hot. Or maybe it was just Merrick. I wiggled out of my sweatpants and he pulled his shirt off. I couldn’t see, but I could feel his bare arms in the dark. I ran my fingers along the contours of the muscles of the arm around me.

I chuckled when I felt him shiver with goose bumps. These arms never belonged to Matt anyway. He didn’t know how to use them like Merrick.

He wrapped those arms that were now his around me tighter as we drifted asleep, even the silence and dark didn’t bother me in those arms.

Breakfast the next morning was interrupted with unexpected bad news. The easy set up we had thought we were getting was no more. Phillips supplier for the store sent a letter and told him they can no longer make deliveries way out here for fear for the drivers safety. Too many Keepers running around.

I shook my head at the contradiction.

The news stations were throwing the word Keeper out at every turn. It was a curse word now to this new world, them beating it into the brains of anyone who would listen that Keepers were the trouble makers. Merrick was right, I could see their words and deceptions for the poison they were. Now we had to come up with a plan.

We knew they are checking for marks, so no Keepers could go on supply and food runs. No Specials could go either. That only left me, Margo, Phillip and Calvin’s mom, but no one was comfortable sending her out. Not only because she was deaf, making it harder for to communicate with her partner if need be, but also because Calvin was so young, if anything happened to her, what would he do?

And Margo, her nerves couldn’t handle it, nor her knees. If she needed to run she would slow us down. So Phillip and I were designated as the only logical choice.

Great.

And the smile that spread across Phillip’s face showed me and everyone else how thrilled he was about it. A quick glance at Merrick and I could see the tightened jaw and flat eyes. A jealous angel?

Though Merrick kept insisting he was no angel, I could think of no better word for him. Of course, wasn’t that exactly what an angel would say? Alien seemed too freakish and he possessed so many angel like qualities. He had told me once, that the place where he was from was very bright and wholesome, even the air was alive.

He said words couldn’t describe it but he wished I could set my eyes on it just once, just to see what he meant. It wasn’t a planet. It just was what it was. They weren’t angels. They just were what they were.

He may be Danny’s Keeper, but to me, he was my angel.

That night while we all sat in the commons room and talked about the next days events and what items needed to be gotten, I walked over to check on Ryan’s shoulder. He hadn’t complained any but I knew it couldn’t be better already.

“Sherry, I’m fine, you shouldn’t worry about me,” Ryan said as I tried to lift his shirt sleeve.

Ryan was young like me. Well, the body was, maybe 22 or so. That body was probably a surfer or something. Blonde hair, nice build, tan. Any girl would swoon but I already bagged myself a Keeper.

“Ryan, don’t be silly. Of course I have to worry about you. Look, this isn’t gonna work. I’ve got to take your shirt off to look at it. Are you modest?” I sang with a teasing tone and a lifted eyebrow.

“No...but maybe we better go in the kitchen,” he muttered as he slowly pulled himself out of the slump in the middle of the couch and I couldn’t help but laugh at him.

Merrick and Jeff glanced up at us to see what we we’re doing. I placed us somewhat in the doorway so I could still hear the conversation, as it did pertain to me, setting him on a chair and carefully pulling his t-shirt over his head.

“What have you been doing for it?” I asked as I began my inspection.

“Nothing. Should I be?”

“Ryan! You need to be taking an anti-inflammatory! Putting ice on it. I’m sorry, I should have told you before. Look at it. No wonder it’s still purple. I bet it still hurts too doesn’t it?”

“Not really,” he lied looking over his shoulder at me, knowing I would know he was lying.

“Oooh. Liar.” I smiled as I walked over to get the eucalyptus oil out of the medicine cabinet out of the hall.

I warmed a little in my hands as Danny came in to grab a glass of juice then sat at the table.

“She’s awesome at that, ya know,” Danny offered.

“Awesome at what?” Ryan asked puzzled.

“Massage.”

“What’s massage?” Ryan asked, turning in his chair to look at me with a strange look.

“It’s medicinal. It’s fine, Ryan,” I assured, trying not to laugh, remembering Merrick and his bungee cords.

I forgot the simple things they don’t know. I placed my hands on him and he jumped a little.

“Relax. Tell me if it hurts too much,” I instructed as I started to swirl my hands around the blade and shoulder.

His skin was just as warm as Jeff and Merrick’s. After a few minutes, I felt him as he loosened up a little, the shoulder skin and muscles moving more fluidly. He groaned a little and I stopped.

“Too much pressure?” I asked.

“No. I’ve never felt anything like that before. It’s amazing,” he said smiling like he’d been given some kinda revelation.

“Told ya,” Danny said laughing as he got up to rejoin Celeste as I resumed my hands working around the front collar bone.

“Massage is really good for things like this. You ought to let me do this every day for a few days. Your body is young and uh...healthy,” I said and cleared my throat but he didn’t seem to notice that I was checking him out, so to speak. “Shouldn’t take too long to start feeling better. There’s no reason for you to just sit and be uncomfortable, Ryan.”

“Hey, you’ll get no more complaints from me, like I said, that feels great,” he insisted, grabbing one of my hands, turning his head to look at me. “Thanks, Sherry. I mean it.”

“No problem. Really. I like making people feel better, if I can.”

I smile as I resumed the massage.

I wonder if anyone had even
really
spoken to Ryan since he’d been here. Calvin hadn’t seemed to take to him much and Lana, Calvin’s mother, can’t talk to him so, I kind of feel bad for him. Has anyone even stopped to show him anything human?

“Where did you learn how to do this?” he asked, stretching his neck to the side.

“Mmmm, nowhere, everywhere. I just kinda taught myself, practicing. Looked up some things on the internet.”

“The internet?”

“Never mind,” I said laughing. “Some people make a career out of it but, I wasn’t interested.”

“People get paid to do this? That can be their job? Huh.” Ryan seemed puzzled again.

“Yep. Welcome to earth. The land of the weird.”

It had been a couple of days since the bad news and we prepares for our first supply run and a scope out of the land. We want to see what the world had come to, and with no Specials or Keepers to worry about, and no cover to be blown as we’d have nothing to hide, I was hoping we could devise a plan or code or something, to lead Keepers to us, and people who weren’t interested in what the Lighters were selling.

I hoped we could find a van load of people and bring them back but I feared this was going to get harder and harder by each day.

Too much poison was being fed to them from the Lighters minions mouths and the news. Jeff was talking about building an army but we needed some recruits. I suddenly thought of the original members of our clan, wondering if they all found safe refuge somewhere.

Jeff went over some things with us, not wasting time. He insisted we go as soon as possible, before things got worse. Merrick was not thrilled with this idea. His dilemma, he told me, was that he had promised to protect me and not leave my side and now here he was, sending me out into the lions den without him.

I assured him this was the only way. I realized, we hadn’t been apart since he found us that day. I was a little scared too, to be away for him. I don’t even know Phillip that well and to have to put up with the staring all day...Ugh.

Jeff checked my shoulder and determined that all was healed so every trace of the poison was gone. I was clear to go.

I waited for Phillip to get dressed and get things situated in the store before we left. I asked Ryan how his shoulder was doing today and he concurred it was much better after two massages.

But, something I hadn’t expected was Merrick, pouting. He walked me to the stairs, locking his arms behind me, pressing his forehead against mine.

Wow! He was actually pouting for me! Amazing how incredibly cute that was.

“If there was any way to keep you from going, I’d do it. I don’t like the idea of you going out alone. I know you wont be
alone
, but...” He sighed harshly, pulling me even closer to him.

“I know. I don’t like it either, but it’s got to be done. There’s no other way.”

“Be careful,” he demanded hard then his tone recanted to something softer. “Maybe...maybe I can ride with you and just stay it the van?” he suggested looking hopeful.

“Merrick, what if we got stopped? I don’t want to have to worry about you the whole time.”

“No. Instead, I’ll be here worrying about you,” he rebutted gruffly, running a hand through his hair.

“Isn’t that what Keepers are supposed to do? I’ll be fine. I’ll be extra careful. Don’t. Worry,” I said rubbing my knuckles over his scruffy chin.

“It feels wrong. It goes completely against the grain. I’ve been protecting you for years. You can’t know what it feels like to let you go like this, where I can’t see you. You haven’t been out of my sight for eighteen years. Do you understand how hard this is for me?”

He caught my fingers in his hand, kissing them and pulling them down to his chest.

“I understand, it sucks,” I said softly. “I don’t want to go. If there was some other way, I’d do it, but there’s not. Phillip said something about a gun by the back door. I guess he’s planning on bringing it, just in case we run into trouble.”

“Honey, you can’t stop them with guns.”

“Mmmm. I really like it when you call me honey,” I crooned and bit my lip for good measure.

“Really?” he asked surprised and then my favorite smile showed up then faded into acceptance. “Well, I’ll remember that for when you get back.”

He pulled my face up to his and kissed my surprised parted lips. I strained on the tip of my toes, both of us completely oblivious of the audience watching us as I wrapped my arms around his waist and let him pull me closer.

When the kiss turned serious, I heard Danny’s cleared throat making us aware and I pulled away gently, recoiling into Merrick’s chest for a warm hug and shelter from my blush. We were whispering but somehow, I thought they still heard us, given away by all the turn heads and profiles of chuckling faces but Merrick was oblivious and continued his plight for my safety, pulling my face up with a finger under my chin.

“I’m serious, Sherry. Don’t try anything with them. If you see a Lighter. Run. If you can’t run, don’t listen and remember, you can’t think about us, here. The Specials or this place,” Merrick reiterated his last warning to me and waited for me to nod.

His thumb rubbed a couple times over my chin and then he kissed my forehead before releasing me, reluctantly.

I was pleased to see Phillip seemed to be present for the kiss. The disgusted look on his face was indication of that. Merrick turned to Phillip as we make our way to the stairs.

“Watch out for her. She’s...important.”

“Gotcha, slick. I’m all over it.”

I took that as metaphorical, not literal from Phillip and leaned in for more one more quick peck from Merrick before heading up the steps, our fingers pulling and trailing to the ends before finally letting go.

It was entirely painful and heartbreaking to leave him. My chest felt like it was pulling me in two but I made my way up those stairs and out the door somehow.

My annoyance level was quickly climbing as we got outside in the van and Phillip’s flamboyant happiness of us being together, alone all day, was bouncing everywhere. I decided it was best to clinch my teeth and make the best of our mission.